Lever Action

[Europe]

This conversation came up before I left Spain with a very nice group of gentlemen-- in a humorous way they felt the lever was only used by cowboys, and I said nothing to change their thinking (-;

I spent many hours in the woods with my grandfathers Savage 250-3000 and loved every minute if it, but found myself moving away from levers unless Javelina hunting in Arizona or Feral Hog hunting in Texas and then I would normally use a Win 30-30 for those hunts. Much later in life I liked the Browning BLR 7mmWSM, but still used it sparingly and we never traveled out of the U.S. or Canada with a lever.

My husband went through several--Winchester, Savage, Marlin, Browning, Henry and even Sharps, but he for the most part only hunted with the Win 348 and the Marlin 45/70. He really enjoyed those two , but again I only remember him using them for hogs and bear. He did hunt Bison once with a Sharps

Who here hunts with a lever action rifle ? Which one ? What game ?

Thank you

 

[ignorethefringes]

The first rifle that was actually mine and not my dad's is a Winchester Ranger 30-30. It's taken a few deer and a I still have fun shooting it. Loaded up with the new Hornady LeveRevolution ammo it's a whole new animal. I also have my grandfather's Winchester 94 30-30 from +/- 1977 that I love to shoot. No scope on that and I haven't actually hunted with it, but target shooting of hand with the old iron sights is one of my favorite things.

I wouldn't hesitate to take the 30-30 out hunting for deer or pigs.

 

[WalkingBird]

Other than my Henry .22, the only other lever I own is a Rossi repro Winchester 92 in .357 Mag. It was purchased originally as a truck gun, but the only thing that's been shot with it is a coyote and a couple woodchucks back east. Only ever hunted big game once with a lever action, and that was with my grandfathers 1947 Savage 99 in .300 Sav with an old weaver K2.5 scope last year when I went back to NY to visit and hunt a little. It was cool being the 3rd generation to harvest a deer with that rifle. Now we're waiting for my nephew to get older (he's 2) to become the 4th

 

[TheGrayRider]

Love lever action rifles. Harvested a bear in the mountains of Utah last Sunday with a Winchester Model 94 .30-30. Great gun that I enjoy carrying around the country for the last 40+ years.

 

[prhunter]

I own a Marlin 336 in 30-30 that is almost used exclusively for javelina but I have taken it out for deer. One of my favorite rifles.

 

[Greyman]

Marlin 1894 in .357 mag. Made in 1979, pre safety JM. Haven't used it on deer yet but I've dropped several hogs.

 

[squirrel]

I grew up in a camp where if it was not a savage 99 in 250-3000 it was not allowed in the gun rack but had to be left cased in the truck. There were some beautiful rifles in that rack from the 30's thru 50's when they still were well made. Mine was the red head of the bunch made with aluminum rotary magazine and grouped if you were lucky on a page of 8x11 paper Some of those older ones could really shoot, although the hunters that carried them were somewhat suspect. All were topped with unertles (sp??) fixed 4x scopes and shot silvertip 100gr.

I sold my crappy one, twice, and now have a poorly made 308 that also shoots poorly (99 from the 80's)

But I love my Marlin 39 .22 and my latest 1895 SBL in 45-70.

Snapped off my 39 stock in a tragic tractor accident involving a hill and a woodchuck burrow along with a trailer full of unsecured T posts, I fixed it several times until it became apparent it was never going to be 100% so I spent a winter making anew one out of a piece of cherry from my Dad's farm. This was about the limit of my 2 year-old patience level. I am better suited to chainsaw than 1/4" wood chisel.

 

[noharleyyet]

My next to oldest grandson could say single shot...falling block...lever action when he was <2.

..my favorite
25-06 https://www.flickr.com/photos/152360342@N02/

 

[Panda Bear]

NoHarleyyet, NICE !

I use the 348 a lot both the Winchester and the Browning.

 

[zpooch]

Taking my 45-70 out more recently and I find it enjoyable

 

[HSi-ESi]

Lever actions have always been my favorite. I first purchased a BLR' 81 in .308 back in the late eighties when I was 12. I love it and it still shoots around an inch with handloads. Although now it wears a Leupold 3X9 Vari-X2 instead of the Weaver K4 I originally put on it. It's taken deer, elk and antelope.

I have a Rossi Win94 remake in .45LC, lots of fun but never hunted with it.

.444 Marlin, JM Stamped barrel that I picked up at an auction that wears a Williams Peep sight - love packing it - and will carry it on pack-out days. I need to shoot something with it.

I need to get a solid little .22 LR for the kids to plink with.

I also have a "NHY lever gun". It doesn't have a magazine though

 

[BrentD]

If you will consider singleshot lever actions (and why would you not?), then I kill almost everything with fur using one..

https://imgur.com/WibiZ9C

https://imgur.com/vKXvB1e

https://imgur.com/DOpI0KW

https://imgur.com/YdiH6R8

https://imgur.com/p2TunIM

etc.

But you know, those weird rifles with the big dog-leg lever off to the side are lever guns too. Just funny, sorta ugly ones. I actually own one of them, but haven't killed anything with it. A bit too modern for me, I guess.

 

[BrentD]

This conversation came up before I left Spain with a very nice group of gentlemen-- in a humorous way they felt the lever was only used by cowboys, and I said nothing to change their thinking (-;

I spent many hours in the woods with my grandfathers Savage 250-3000 and loved every minute if it, but found myself moving away from levers unless Javelina hunting in Arizona or Feral Hog hunting in Texas and then I would normally use a Win 30-30 for those hunts. Much later in life I liked the Browning BLR 7mmWSM, but still used it sparingly and we never traveled out of the U.S. or Canada with a lever.

My husband went through several--Winchester, Savage, Marlin, Browning, Henry and even Sharps, but he for the most part only hunted with the Win 348 and the Marlin 45/70. He really enjoyed those two , but again I only remember him using them for hogs and bear. He did hunt Bison once with a Sharps

Who here hunts with a lever action rifle ? Which one ? What game ?

Thank you

Europe, what did you think of the BLR?

I had one for a while. Mine was an old Belgian-made .308. It was cumbersome, darn heavy and not very accurate, so it went down the road after I killed a muledeer with it in the Winchesters back in about 1991 - if you know where those are.

What caliber was your husband's Sharps and what sort of load did he use for the buffalo?

One of these days I need to get my .45-70 1895 Marlin hunting, but that is also a big heavy gun.

 

[oleefish2]

My first deer was killed with a model 1892 25-20 and my brother has our grandfathers 32 special. I would like to have a BLR in 358 Winchester as a brush and timber gun.

 

[noharleyyet]

I also have a "NHY lever gun". It doesn't have a magazine though

...left hand interdigital mag. Holds 3. ; )...takes a little practice

 

[VikingsGuy]

Nothing fancy, but I have 4 and love 'em all. A Henry .22LR for plinking up at the cabin & first rifle for the kids to try after bb guns. A 336 30-30 that has been go to deer gun in woods of MN for years. A 1894 .357Mag for a "ranch gun" at the cabin. And most recently a 1885 high wall in .270 that took my first elk this winter. My bolts shoot tighter groups but I do love my levers -- guess it came from shootings grandpa's 336 for years on his farm when I was a kid.

 

[HSi-ESi]

...left hand interdigital mag. Holds 3. ; )...takes a little practice

That insinuates more than 1 shot will be required though, negating the mental advantage of the single-shot. Unless it's 'dangerous game', then it's cool.

 

[Greyman]

My trusty 336

 

[Scarey]

My second oldest son shoots a Marlin 30-30 mainly because he is a lefty and he has a hard time finding a rifle that he does not have to special order. He feels it is a better fit to use while hunting from up in a tree.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I have not hunted with one, but used to shoot Dad’s Marlin 45-70 with him at the range.

Hunting Husband has an old open sight pre-64 Winchester 30-30 that I think he got in high school. He killed some deer with it when he was young. Since I’ve known him, he’s only taken it out once. Thought it would be fun to take it out to fill a doe tag, but ended up tagging a mountain lion with it instead! He was pretty tickled to have things work out that way.